MIM diodes have previously been fabricated using thermal or plasma oxidation of crystalline metal films. Diodes fabricated in this way, however, exhibit poor yield and performance. To a large extent, these problems can be attributed to the roughness of the metal surface, which is often greater than the thickness of the insulator. The roughness of the metal results in a non-uniform electric field across the device, which makes it difficult to control the electron tunnelling.
Recently, the use of an amorphous metal layer has been proposed for reducing surface roughness in MIM devices. The proposed material, however, is an alloy (ZrCuAlNi) consisting of four metals, which increases the complexity and cost of fabrication.
Furthermore, such alloys are not suitable for use in flexible and transparent electronics because the material is opaque and relatively brittle.
The apparatus and methods disclosed herein may or may not address this issue.
The listing or discussion of a prior-published document or any background in this specification should not necessarily be taken as an acknowledgement that the document or background is part of the state of the art or is common general knowledge. One or more aspects/embodiments of the present disclosure may or may not address one or more of the background issues.